How do I decide where to start making improvements after I complete a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)?
If the FMEA is complete, you should have a total Risk Priority Number (RPN) for each failure mode identified. Each step in the process may have more than one failure mode, so total the RPNs from each failure mode to determine the RPN for each step. Start with the steps that have the highest RPN, as they pose the greatest risk. Within each step, start first on the failure modes that have the highest individual RPN.
